It had been nearly half a day since they left Dorian, and, already, the fight there had taken its toll on Say. His ribs ached horribly where the soldier had crushed them. His leg throbbed terribly where he had accidentally sliced it. And his head pounded abominably with every step he took. But, if they wanted to reach the next city before dark, they would have to keep walking.
He looked over at the girl beside him, and when he did, despite the horrible pain, he smiled. It was, after all, she, whom had made his heart go aflutter when he first saw her in the tavern. It was she, whom Say had rescued from the inebriated soldiers. And it was she, whom he loved with all his heart. It made him laugh when he finally realised he didn’t even know her name. He coughed to get her attention.
“Well,” he started. “What are you called?”
The girl locked eyes with his and spoke in a slow, beautiful voice, "I cannot recall.” She looked away.
This answer shocked Say, and he stumbled with his next words. "And why would this be?"
She sighed quite heavily. "I am under a curse. I cannot remember anything before today. Not my name, nor my age. The only thing I am allowed to remember is the fact that I cannot remember." She sighed again and waited for a response from the stricken Say.
He stopped walking and thought for a moment. A life without memories? A life without basic knowledge of one's own self? Before him was the ultimate of sadness. The girl standing there beside him now looked so pitiful, so pathetic.
"So, you do not know who you are." He sat and motioned for her to sit with him.
"Oh, yes, Sir. I know who I am, but I do not know who I was before today." She paused, but then continued when she saw Say's confused look,
"You see, today, you might see me as a petty girl who needs to be rescued. But, yesterday, I might have been a totally different person. Maybe I was a con artist looking to make money. Or, maybe I was a gunslinger looking to fight. I never know my previous life, and I always wonder what I will be tomorrow, but by then, I'll never know what I was this present morrow."
Say looked longingly at the butterflies that flittered passed. His mind could barely wrap around it. He didn't know what this curse was, but he did feel the sadness. He cringed as the girl laid her head against his injured thigh.
"My name is Lily," she said softly. "Today, my name is Lily."
Say smiled and answered. "My name is-"
"No," she stopped him. "Don't tell me your name. I don't want it to be another memory I cannot remember."
Night came quickly into the forest. When Lily was asleep, Say laid her gently onto the grass. She stirred lightly when he kissed her, but she didn't awaken. He walked silently away, thinking to himself. He knew it was best to leave her. There could never really be any lasting love between them. He looked back at her peaceful form, and one last thought flew past his mind like a lone butterfly,
I don't want to remember.
Author notes
I wrote this in AllPoetry and decided to move it here.
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